Adrienne Barbeau. In tight shirts or low-cut gowns. Sometimes running, sometimes wet. Oh, and in one scene for DVD viewers only, bathing in the swamp for some gratuitous topless shots.

That, in short, is about all 1981's Swamp Thing has going for it.

Adapted from a DC Comics character, this film joins the ranks of comic adaptations that should never have been. On the side of evil is a two-dimensional evil botanist (Louis Jourdan) and an incompetent band of commandos (David Hess, Nicholas Worth, et al). The hero is a good botanist (Ray Wise) who transforms into the rubber-suited title character (Dick Durock) and is lovesick for Barbeau. They all muck about in the swamp searching for the ultimate glowing green fertilizer.

If you have a hankering to see director Wes Craven at his worst or Adrienne Barbeau's breasts at their best, this is a must-see. There's no other reason to go near it.

[ by Tom Knapp ]
Rambles: 28 September 2002